To be completely honest, I'm not really much for exploitation/grindhouse type films. I actually find them quite offensive... bahahahaha! Just kidding! Not too much offends me this day and age except when Hollywood takes a classic 80's TV show and turns it into the bumbling buddy, comedic bromance type crap that is the new 21 Jumpstreet. Just look at the ridiculous movie poster... for fuck's sake! Now a creature feature? I'll sit and watch one after the other without so much as a potty break in between.
In a small Australian coastal town, a trio of female hired killers, Beretta (Nelli Scarlet), Blondie (Karli Madden) and Snowball (Kate Watts) are hiding away in a seaside shack. Shortly after they arrive the they run afoul a cranky old neighbor (Norman Yemm) after taking a dip in the ocean. Shaking his fist, he urges them to stay out of the water warning of the dangers that lie in the deep igniting a feud between him and the girls until his granddaughter Hannah (Kyrie Capri) shows up to defuse the situation. The girls take a shine to Hannah and they become fast friends. Hannah is curious about the world outside of her small town and the rebellious lifestyle the trio represent. That night the grandfather’s warnings come true and the sea monster returns to the small town it ravaged years ago. Hannah, her grandfather and the three gorgeous killers must join together to survive the deadly Kraken’s attack.
Let me start off by saying the casting for this film was dead on (no pun intended). Norman Yemm does a fantastic job as the crabby old man. There wasn't a second in the entire movie where he didn't have me convinced. I absolutely loved his character. The girls did a great job as well. Especially given the outrageous scenes they had to play out. There were some awkward moments, just a few, but these are three vixens you definitely don't wanna cross paths with in a dark alley, or a brightly lit back road or at all for that matter. Capri holds her own as well playing the sweet, innocent granddaughter to a "delusional" old man. You can sympathize with her character almost immediately. She's a curious young girl trapped in a small town destined to rebel the first chance she gets.
I was pretty much digging this one from the beginning. One of the cool things about it was that it starts off in black and white with that sort of rockabilly flare but with the first drop of blood comes the color. It was a very cool transition that I personally hadn't seen before. There are couple of moments in the film where the soundtrack is too loud. Particularly during a key scene where it drowns out some important dialogue. A goof? Yes but not a major one. Stuart Simpson, who wrote, directed, filmed, edited and did all the visual effects, has crafted a very nice homage to 50's era film. It's grindhouse with a SciFi flare. It's campy, cheesy fun and it will entertain you the entire time. If you like that kinda stuff you're definitely gonna want to check this one out!
For more information on El Monstro check out the website monstromovie.com or visit them on Facebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment